The Qur’an and its Place in Muslim Life and Society*(SC-621)Summer 2009

As the sacred scripture of Islam, The Qur’ân has primary authority in the way Muslims understand their faith. This course will examine Islamic concepts of the Qur’ân as divine revelation and guidance. Major Qur’ânic themes will be studied in English translation, with reference to classical and contemporary Muslim commentaries. Attention will be paid to ways in which the Qur’ân functions as sacred scripture in Muslim history and contemporary life, examples of which will include Muslim communities in the United States.

Ingrid MattsonDirector of the Macdonald Center for the Study of Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations, Director of Islamic Chaplaincy Program, Professor of Islamic Studies and Christian-Muslim Relations

Course Requirements:
Since this is an intensive five-day course, full attendance and participation are absolutely necessary. Students will be graded for participation and will lose points for unexcused absences from class.

Each student will make a 15 minute oral presentation of a modern/contemporary book on Qur’anic interpretation on Friday (see list under Friday’s readings). An accompanying written report must be submitted to the instructor that day.
Students will be required to keep a “Qur’an Journal” in a notebook that will be submitted to the instructor in August. The journal will have two sections. One section will be a glossary, in which students will write down new and unfamiliar terms and their definitions. To this end, the student should bring the journal to class each day.
The other section of the journal will be reflective and based on independent reading of translations of the meaning of the Qur’an. Students are required to submit a journal with at least twenty entries—each made on a different day. The entries can be as short as two sentences; there is no maximum length. The entry consists of reflections and questions about what the student has read.

The research paper must be on a topic approved by the instructor. An outline and bibliography must be submitted to the instructor on the designated date or points may be deducted from the final grade. In addition to any monographs the student may find on the paper topic, he or she must also consult the Index Islamicus, the Religion Index or another source to search for relevant scholarly articles. The student is encouraged to submit a draft of the paper before the final due date. Students should follow Hartford Seminary guidelines for writing research papers. A copy of these guidelines are available from the course instructor or the Dean of Students.

Students are also permitted to submit a project instead of a paper. The project should be a creative exercise designed to help the student further explore the Qur’an in Muslim society. Students wishing to submit a project must obtain prior approval from the instructor.

***All students must have read the Introduction to the Sells book by the start of the first class.

Course Texts:
1. Any English translation of the Qur’an.
2. Ingrid Mattson The Story of the Qur’an: its history and place in Muslim Life (Blackwell-Wiley, 2008).

*Pre-reading:

If this is your first Islamic Studies class, you must read a general introduction to Islam. I recommend Marston Speight’s God is One, the Way of Islam. This is available at the Hartford Seminary bookstore.

Wael B. Hallaq, “The pre-Islamic Near East, Muhammad and Quranic Law,” cpt. of The Origins and Evolution of Islamic Law (Cambridge University Press, 2005): 8-28 (plus maps at front of book).
Mattson, Cpt. 1 “God Speaks to Humanity.”
Optional: (For those not familiar with the life of the Prophet Muhammad) Martin Lings, Muhammad, his life based on the earliest sources (Rochester, VT: Inner Traditions International, 1983): 1-49.

Friday: New Readings and Approaches to Tafsir; Current Issues; Translations

Rotraud Wielandt, “Exegesis of the Qur’ān: Early Modern and Contemporary,” EQ, v. 2, 124-142.
Dale Eickelman, “Qur’anic Commentary: Public space, and religious intellectuals in the writings of Said Nursi,” The Muslim World v. 89, nos 3-4 (1999): 260-269.